The Scars Remain
by CorruptingYourChildren22
Summary: Three shinobi, ripped from their homes, betrayed by their village, and their families slaughtered like cattle. Letting them live was the worst mistake Konohagakure had ever made. AU. Parings undecided.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Alright, this is a massive alternate history. Most will be explained in the first part of this chapter. On update speed, I do this for fun, when the mood strikes me. Also, I just started a new job, so I'm a little busy at the time as well. I will try to update fast, but no guarantees. One more thing (in the old guy from Jackie Chan voice) this doesn't have a beta, and I suck at editing. So I apologize in advance for the errors. I will try to get better at editing as this goes.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own shit.**

" _There is an invisible force guiding all of us. Leading us in the direction we are meant to go, telling us the right choices to make. Call it god, or fate, or whatever the hell you want to call it, it doesn't change the fact that it's there. It's all around you, everywhere you look, everything you do, it has something to do with it. The motives behind the decision are all you, but it wants you to make one particular choice. Because it knows what the right thing to do is, no one knows better than it, this omnipotent thing. And all for what is essentially meaningless in the end anyway._

 _You see, this force is what shapes the world into what it's supposed to be. Of course, nothing is foolproof. The world would probably be a better place if everyone listened and followed to it. But they didn't, because of this pesky little thing called free will. It got in the way of everything, always making people think they knew best. That was such a ridiculous notion, human beings are idiots. Total idiots. They are by far the dumbest being that has ever existed. That mayfly that lives for about seven minutes? Yeah it's probably smarter than the entire human race combined._

 _Why? Because even that tiny creature listens to that force. They follow their instincts, they know what the best choice is because of that force, and they have a good seven minutes of life. But the self-righteous humans? They toil along, making wrong turns at every intersection. Ignoring all the obvious signs, the obvious answers, if only the fools would pay attention, then maybe, just maybe they wouldn't ruin the perfect plans that had already been made. Obviously this force tried to correct their terrible decisions, but still the arrogant people of the world would fuck it up._

 _This force tried to correct for humanity's stupidity, but it would soon learn how pointless of an endeavor that was. Because no matter what it did, humans would smile happily and then proceed to shit all over a good thing, because it's in their nature. Humans are major fuck ups. It's just what they do. They piss away all the good things and happily keep the bad. At least that was the conclusion of the force. As was said before though, it can be wrong. One man, and only one man in all of history, actually wanted to follow the plan laid out before him, but his foolish brother tried to stop him every step of the way._

 _The eldest Senju brother was a kind man. He never wanted to hurt anyone, and his dream was a noble one. He sought a world of peace and comfort, a world where children weren't turned into homicidal maniacs out of necessity. Pity that true peace is impossible to achieve, no peace is lasting. The pride of men won't let it last. One would have to destroy the entire human race to create a lasting peace. (Unless of course they could find a way to control every living thing in some sort of massive illusion, but that doesn't seem very likely does it.) Now isn't the time to discuss philosophies though, there's a story to tell here after all, it's time to get on with it._

 _After constant warfare, two of the most powerful clans in the world made an alliance, they erected a village, Konohagakure no Sato, the village hidden in the leaves. There were two candidates for the position of Hokage, the leader of the village. Uchiha Madara, a very powerful man, but quick to anger. He was arrogant as well, but he was realist, he understood men better than most._

 _The other was the eldest Senju brohter, Senju Hashirama. An equally powerful man, easy going and peace loving. He was a bit of fool though, that was why he would follow his gut so often, like the force told him to. He was too optimistic as well, always expecting everyone to do the right thing, surprising for someone who grew up in such harsh times. He was ungodly powerful though, so anyone willing to cross him probably wouldn't survive long enough to cause too much harm._

 _The obvious choice would be Hashirama, he was stronger and better at public relations, but the obvious choice isn't always the right choice. If Madara was made the Hokage, he would start a couple of wars sure, but he would win them, he would unite the nations under the Konoha banner and the world would live in peace for a long time. Hashirama knew this, he wanted to make Madara the Hokage, but Tobirama would never stand for it, his hate for the Uchiha clan was too great. So Hashirama went behind his brothers back and named Madara the hokage anyway. The right choice for peace had finally been made and Uchiha Madara, The First Hokage , was on his way to creating a long lasting world of peace, but only a fool would believe that would be the end of it._

 _All was well, for a time anyway. Tobirama kept quiet, he didn't voice his obvious displeasure for the situation. The water master was strong, and wise beyond his years, but he was also prideful and stubborn, to damned stubborn for his own good. He would never allow himself to truly follow an Uchiha, they were his enemy, his father's enemy, his grandfather's enemy, his great-grandfather's enemy, get the picture? To sink so low as to obey one of the cursed Uchiha, well, even the thought of it made him sick at his stomach. Hashirama was able to keep him grounded though, but even a man as great as the eldest Senju brother could be killed, and then there would be no gate holding back the pride and rage of Tobirama._

 _After the death of Hashirama at the hands of Takigakure, Madara and the remaining Seju brother were filled with vengeance. They led armies to Taki's doorstep and burnt the fledgling village to the ground. They killed every man, woman and child. It was a beautiful display, it showed the two just how powerful they could be if they would put aside their differences. That was what was supposed to happen anyway, that was the plan. It didn't happen._

 _Over the next several years, there would be a rift driven between the village. A verbal civil war if you will. Tobirama and Madara continued to battle verbally for the better part of a decade, all the while training a promising shinobi team together. Eventually, the pot boiled over, leading to a full on fight between the two. Tobirama lost, but he survived. He fled the village, and the inevitable war followed._

 _It was slow process, but Tobirama managed to bring in many followers from Konoha to his cause, to his revolution. The first to defect had been the Hyuuga clan, under promises that the new Konoha would never interfere in their affairs._

 _Shimura Danzo defected the moment Hiruzen was named the successor to Madara. Danzo's teamates, Kagami Uchiha and Torifu Akimichi, the current patriarch of the Akimichi left as well, taking the entirety of the Akimichi clan._

 _With their longtime ally gone, the Nara were left with a choice, follow Tobirama and the Akimichi, or Madara and the Yamanaka. They chose Tobirama, saying their original pledge of loyalty had been to the Senju._

 _The Yamanaka considered it a grave betrayal, one that could only be settled through bloodshed. Longtime allies became the bitterest of enemies. That was what civil war did though, they turned brother against brother._

 _War was waged for ten straight years, decimating both sides. Konoha would emerge victorious though, through the implementation of the shinobi academy. Shinobi could be made out of the civilian populace much quicker. Allowing them to kill each other much quicker._

 _The Senju led rebellion scattered, each clan going into hiding. The rebels remained in contact with one another though, even joining back together to help Konoha win the second shinobi world war. That was where two civilian shinobi, and the Senju princess fought together against Hanzo, earning them the moniker of the Sannin. For the first time, there was some semblance of hope that the village would reunite. Hiruzen was more than willing to accept them back, but Tobirama's pride would get in the way again._

 _His condition for returning was that the Uchiha would leave. He was convinced that they would destroy the village if they remained._

 _Hiruzen couldn't allow the Uchiha to be kicked out of their village, especially not for a man most of the shinobi populace had spent the majority of their career trying to kill. Such a thing would be unjust, and would never be accepted by the men and women who had fought alongside the Uchiha for years, and had served the leader of their clan up until his death._

 _Tobirama's response to Hiruzen's rejection of his alliance was more bloodshed. The rebellious clans began guerrilla warfare, attacking squads out on missions, and quickly overwhelming them. Before long, it was too dangerous for genin teams to leave the village, crippling the village's income. They fought on all fronts, with the Senju rebels being allies just as often as enemies. In this war, more legends would emerge, Minato Namikaze, his students, Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara, Kakashi Hatake, and his wife Kushina Uzumaki. Minato and his team would become famous for killing the Third Raikage's son, A. Kushina, would stake her own claim to fame by having a renowned battle with A's brother, which famously ended in a stalemate, with the destruction of several miles worth of land._

 _Minato wasn't the knight in shining armor Konoha hoped him to be though, he, his wife, and his team defected from the village, and joined the rebellion on October 10_ _th_ _. No one knows why, but they do know that they fought a battle against Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru before they left. Amazingly, none of the main combatants were killed, but several ANBU were slaughtered._

 _Fucking people, always killing each other. What is the point in even writing this? No one is going to listen, it's just a history lesson at this point anyway. Fuck it. I'm done, this is the end of my lesson to humanity. It was a pointless task in the first place_..."

Naruto stared at the scroll he just finished incredulously "Okay…that was odd." He mumbled dropping the scroll on to the desk beside him. The sun was setting, the smell of fresh baked goods and the sound of laughing and screaming children seeped into his underground home. Fireworks were being prepared and plays were taking place depicting Hashirama and Madara signing the treaty. The entire village was happy during this time, excluding him anyway.

Today was a day when children would come out with their families for the founding day parade and festival, and he hated it so very much. Maybe it was bitter to hate a day that reminded him that he was alone, maybe it was petty to hate the families, the children for having something he so desperately wanted, but it didn't change the truth. And the truth was that he was an angry and bitter child, as most would be, under these circumstances.

So here he sat, reading scrolls on history, trying to prepare for his entrance into the academy next year. Without anyone to teach him, Naruto had become reliant on scrolls. He was always reading now, trying to be as prepared as possible for the academy. He couldn't get anything beyond basic knowledge at this point though. All the good stuff was sealed off, either in the academy, or in the Hokage's office, and there was no way some insignificant little orphan like him was important enough to get into those places yet. So, the only way for a poor kid like him to get the scrolls was to get them in the library, or to steal them, and the library didn't like ratty looking kids going inside.

Sure, sometimes he felt bad for stealing stuff, but when the orphanages are so overcrowded that three kids share a single bed, you did what you had too. It's not like he didn't steal for the greater good either, he always shared his scrolls with fellow orphans. And he didn't just steal scrolls, he made sure they all had enough food and clothing. If the village didn't care enough about stupid, starving, and naked children to help them, then they deserved to have their stuff stolen. That was how he justified it anyway.

If he did a bad thing for good reasons, then he didn't really do a bad thing. It was that simple, and he refused to see it any other way. Which was probably why they kicked him out of the orphanage, calling him a bad influence.

He lived underground now. There were a bunch of old labs and stuff under the market district, Orochimaru's labs from when he was younger most likely. Most of the equipment that had once been here was gone, and the only reason he knew it to be a laboratory was because of some books and scrolls that had been left behind, some of the old papers had been signed by Orochimaru.

He slept here now, and used it as a base to store his stolen goods. The place was actually pretty nice, all things considered. He had all the stuff he had stolen for himself over the past two years, everything from simple scrolls and books, to weapons and taijutsu training dummies. Not to mention the place was the size of two city blocks and about forty rooms.

Naruto had found this place when he was running from a merchant after stealing a loaf of bread. The floor of an old restaurant fell through, and he landed here. It didn't take him long to figure out that there were hidden entrances and exits all over. One even came out outside the village!

He was headed to one of those secret exits now, he had an appointment with the newly selected Hokage, Orochimaru. He was to be examined and approved for the ninja forces. A process all civilian hopefuls went through. They didn't want to waste valuable resources on kids who would never be able to complete their training.

He climbed the stairs to a small hatch, this should come out right between the Uchiha compound, and the festival grounds, the hokage building would be about ten minutes away from there. Walking pace.

Naruto opened the hatch, a cool breeze hitting his face. Less than a second later, a fire erupted from the Uchiha district, and chaos ensued. Naruto was confused at first, until the sirens went off. That meant the village was under attack, and not a small one.

The festival grounds were next to go up in flames, people were running and screaming everywhere, shinobi leapt from roof to roof, engaging in small taijutsu battles all over.

Naruto was afraid, for the first time in his life, he was afraid. That was when his instincts kicked in. If he was going to be a shinobi, he had to prove himself, he had to protect the village.

The smell of smoke, and screams assaulted his senses. As soon as he caught his breath, Naruto began running towards the screams as fast as his legs could carry him.

There were people on fire. That was the first thing he noticed. Piles of bodies, mostly grown men, probably civilians that had tried to fight…probably not a good sign for him. Everywhere he looked, he saw children, crying, screaming, and desperately searching for their parents.

One girl in particular caught his attention, she was crying, but she held a kunai, and was bravely standing over the body of a man he assumed to be her father. She had blonde hair, and wore an orange shirt with the Yamanaka clan insignia on the front. Two shinobi were standing in front of her, one had a long ponytail sticking up in the air, with a Nara clan symbol on his back. The other was a very fat man, with the Akamichi symbol on his red armor. It was stupid, and it would most likely end with his death, but he couldn't help it

He drew a dagger he had stolen from the ninja supply store. Using all of his stealth skills, he snuck behind the Nara, and dove for the man's head with the blade. The Nara turned at the last second, but the blade managed to cut off the ear of the Nara, and slice into the flak jacket.

Naruto tumbled over his shoulder and landed on the girl, sending them both to the ground in a heap. Naruto quickly pulled himself up, standing protectively over the stunned blonde girl.

He knew who they were as soon as he saw their faces. They were in all of Orochimaru's bingo books. Nara Shikaku, and Akamichi Chouza.

"Ha, Looks like the gaki gave you a new scar Shika." The rotund Akamichi bellowed. He was oddly cheerful, under the circumstances. "So, do we take him too? Or just Inoichi's girl? No clan markings. Probably a civ."

Shikaku was seemingly unperturbed by his blood soaked face and lack of an ear, if anything, he was bored. "Might have to knock him out. Seems to be protecting the Yamanaka." There was no discernable emotion in his voice beyond apathy, but the Yamanaka name came with a slight scowl.

Naruto got into a basic taijutsu stance from one of the scrolls, he knew he didn't stand a chance, but he wasn't about to let them kidnap an innocent little girl. He was more world wise at eight years old than most, and he knew she would probably be forced into a political marriage. Then the clan of whoever she was forced to marry would be entitled to the Yamanaka clan techniques. If they didn't just use her as breeding stock. He read once that girls from clans were kidnapped and impregnated to make strong heirs for various clans. He wasn't sure how that happened, but it couldn't be pleasant for her.

"Heh, gaki thanks he has a fighting chance." Chouza laughed heartily at him. "Leave kid. You'll live longer. He added, scratching under his chin nonchalantly as he spoke.

The girl, she was visibly shaking, but pushing herself off the ground anyway. An amazing feat of strength and bravery.

"You okay?" Naruto asked her, never taking his eyes of the bored/amused shinobi in front of him.

"The-…they kil… killed my daddy." She stuttered between sobs. Naruto didn't catch the pang of guilt that flashed through the akamichi's eyes.

"I'm sorry…" Naruto didn't really know how to respond. He reached back and grabbed ahold of her hand, giving it a squeeze and noting with slight disdain that she was taller than him. "We'll come with you, just don't hurt us." He lied through his teeth, just like he had done for most of his life.

The blonde girl panicked, like he expected her to, but he held her hand firmly, keeping her from trying to escape. Every good thief has a getaway plan, and a backup getaway plan, and a backup for their backup. This situation was no different, but she had to stay close to him for it to work.

Chouza looked dumbfounded, and he couldn't really see shikaku's facial expression for the blood now. He should really get that ear sewn up. It was the best distraction he was gonna get over the Nara though. His free hand slipped into his pocket, and pulled out three multicolored smoke bombs. All his special blend, the smoke lasted longer and was much denser than the standard. Better for getting away from the merchants.

He dropped the bombs, and was already running as hard as he could, dragging the poor girl behind him. He heard the booms and the shinobi cough and gag. They wouldn't be distracted long. Luckily, there was a hidden entrance to his home close by. The girl was running harder than he was now, almost pulling ahead of him.

He turned, pulling her with him, they went into an old abandoned apartment building, ignoring the horrible shape it was in, Naruto bolted towards the steps leading towards the basement. The girl seemed to be following diligently. Oddly trusting, since her father had been killed. Then again, she was a clan kid, she could probably take him.

He let her hand go and leapt down the stairs of the basement, never touching a step. He looked back to see her running down them. He didn't wait for her, he ran to the back of the room, tearing a picture off the wall, revealing a safe door. Luckily the code was on the other side. He turned the dial till it clicked. Opening the safe door to what appeared to be an empty blackness. A genjutsu failsafe. No pun intended. "Come on Yamanaka-san."

"H-hai." She stuttered grabbing his hand again.

She was squeezing his hand painfully, but he didn't say anything as he led her into the darkness, shutting the door behind them. He pushed his chakra outward, causing the genjutsu to recognize him as the new owner of the old laboratory.

The darkness fell away, leaving a well-lit bedchamber in its wake. It wasn't fancy, just cement lined walls with various blue prints of the village's most important buildings. Along with a large blueprint of the lab. Detailing specific rooms and their uses. A large double bed sat against the back wall of the room, slate grey bed sheets and two rather pillows lay folded on top of the bed, ready to be put on should someone need the bed. The lab had 12 different bed chambers, and Naruto only needed one, so he had never messed with the others. They were exactly as Orochimaru had left them.

"We should be safe here. Most people don't know this place exists." He turned and offered a smile to the girl with a death grip on his hand. "My name's Naruto, by the way."

"I'm Ino. Thanks for saving me." The last part was mumbled, but Naruto understood her. Her blue eyes were still filled with tears, but she seemed better than before. He didn't know how long it took one to get over the death of a parent, he didn't even know what it was like to have parents, but he imagined it was longer than ten minutes.

"Anyone would have." He smiled at her again, trying to figure out how to cheer the blonde girl up.

"No. No there were Konoha shinobi there, they were helping them! They…they… daddy asked for help, for back up, but they stabbed him through the legs, and held him down… The Nara…he…killed him. They were going to take me, going to hurt me!" Her legs shook and she held her hands close to her chest, tears were freely falling from her eyes at that point. "If you hadn't saved me…" She trailed off as her sobs over took her. She suddenly grabbed the blond boy and pulled him into a hug, sobbing onto his shoulder.

Naruto froze. He had never been hugged before. Never. He didn't know how to react, his arms just hung limply at his sides. For a split second he thought about dropping another smoke bomb and running.

After what seemed like forever, she let go of him and then her eyes grew wide "Sasuke-kun!"

"…What?" Naruto looked at her, utterly confused. Did she forget his name?

"The Uchiha, they're going after the Uchiha. Sasuke-kun is there! We need to warn them, we need to save them!" The girl yelled at him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking as she did so.

Naruto's mind immediately went to the fire erupting in the Uchiha Compound. He couldn't let her go there. She was already emotionally hurt, if her friend was dead, he didn't want her to see that. Plus he was really good at stealth, but he had never tried to be sneaky in pairs.

"I'll go. You stay here. I'll find your friend. It's a promise." He offered her another kind smile with his words. She looked offended though, and he couldn't comprehend why.

"I'm a kunoichi in training. I can help." She said, glaring at Naruto.

Oh. She thought he was saying she wasn't good enough. "No, no, you don't understand Ino-chan! I don't want you getting hurt, and I know I can sneak in and out of there, I've done it for years!" He sounded more excited than he meant to. The prospect of possibly offending his new friend bothered him more than he cared to admit.

"I can help! You're not even from a clan!"

Okay, that one stung slightly. "Fine. But stay quiet and follow me." He turned and started running through the lab, with a confused Ino running close behind.

-Break-

Uchiha Sasuke was hidden inside his home, flames were burning outside, and blood was splattered across the traditional shoji doors. His brother had thrown him in there, and told him not to leave. No matter what.

Of course, when the back of the house caught on fire, he had no choice to run outside. He hadn't expected what greeted him. His father, mother, and brother stood back to back, fending off attackers from all sides. Shisui was fighting on the other side of the compound, but everyone else, everyone he saw, was dead. Decimated body after body. His heart broke, tears fell, but his most precious family was still alive, and reinforcements would be here soon. They were in the middle of the village after all.

As if on cue, the new Hokage, Orochimaru and his elite soldiers arrived. Jiraiya of the sannin, and long-time teammate, Sakumo Hatake. The now retired Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi came from the other side, landing beside Shisui.

Sasuke had never been so relieved. They were the strongest shinobi in the village, and they were going to save his family!

Orochimaru drew his sword, walking towards the shinobi while Sasuke stared in amazement. He couldn't wait to watch the legendary shinobi in action.

The man walked behind Mikoto, a devilish smile on his face. The masked shinobi fighting his family turned and ran with their tails between their legs. Sasuke wanted to be just like him. He couldn't wait for the day that shinobi would flee from him on sight…wait no! NO!

Orochimaru raised kusanagi above his head and brought on the neck of Mikoto, separating her head from her shoulders. "No!" Sasuke screamed, dropping to his knees. He didn't even notice that he activated his sharingan.

Fugaku noticed what was happening too late. He lunged madly at the Hokage, only to be hit by a Rasnegan from behind. The spinning orb of chakra went through his vest, tearing the flesh underneath, before exploding outward from inside the Uchiha's chest cavity. The clan head was all but torn in half.

Itachi had been faster to react. He leapt away from the legendary shinobi, landing on a nearby rooftop. That was when he saw Sasuke, on his knees in blood and dirt, balling his eyes out. "Sasuke! Run!" The Uchiha shouted, but his beloved little brother didn't hear him. He was too far gone.

Sasuke could only stare at the bodies of his parents. Anger flooded through him. Pure unbridled rage. He charged the snake, pulling a kunai from one of the bodies beside him. He didn't hear Itachi's warnings, and he probably wouldn't have cared if he had heard them. His hands shook, his fingernails were drawing blood from his palm in the hand that wasn't holding the kunai. He didn't notice. He was too focused. The only thing he could think about was killing the Sannin. He didn't see the blond haired boy come from out of nowhere, and he didn't even register the exact moment that he was tackled to the ground.

-Break-

"He's attacking Hokage-sama!" Ino shouted as she saw the Uchiha boy running at the sannin. "We have to stop him! He'll die!" She was starting to panic, Naruto noted, trying desperately to keep his cool himself. He had made a promise. He had to save Sasuke.

He ran from their hiding spot as hard as he could, bull rushing the Uchiha heir, who didn't even seem to notice him. As soon as he was close enough, he dove into the boy, taking them both off their feet.

Sasuke was kicking, and fighting him to stand. "Let me go! I have to kill the bastards!" Naruto inwardly face-palmed. How did a kid think he could take a kage?

"He'll slaughter you. And me for that matter. We have to run." Naruto tried to be a voice of reason. His survival instincts were kicking in. He didn't want to stick around the village now. He had clearly just crossed the Hokage.

"He murdered my mom! She thought he was helping her!" The Uchiha growled, his red eyes spinning. "I'll tear him apart!"

' _His reaction is the exact opposite of Ino-chan'_ Naruto noted mentally. He really was trying to understand what the girl was going through better. "Fine, you can, but not now. Not tonight. We'll run. We'll survive, and we'll come back when you're stronger. When you can tear him apart. But we have to leave. Now." Naruto pulled the Uchiha up, dragging him towards Ino who was worriedly watching the interaction.

Naruto looked to the hokage, he was staring at them, with a confused look. Slightly irritated as well. He wouldn't get the chance to chase them though, an Uchiha was going on the offensive against the sannin. Possibly trying to cover their escape. Maybe Sasuke was important to him. Another Uchiha suddenly appeared in the mix, from a shushin. His sword was covered in blood, and he held the head of the Third Hokage in his hand. ' _Holy shit._ ' Naruto thought, but he didn't stop running. Maybe they would survive. But he wasn't sticking around to find out.

Naruto and Sasuke met Ino at her hiding spot, he grabbed her arm as well, pulling her with them, without missing a beat. It was hard to believe, but maybe they wouldn't die here.

They ran hard. Naruto was pushing himself beyond his limits, Ino was about to give out, but Sasuke was fresh, he was still staring behind them though. Wanting desperately to go help his brother and Shisui. "I can't leave them."

Naruto heard him, and he was sure Ino did as well, but he wasn't about to let them stop. "We have too. One of them managed to kill the god of shinobi himself. They have a chance."

"Itachi-nii-san would never leave me!" Sasuke yelled, tears filling his eyes once again. Ino placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Your brother's Itachi, a genius shinobi. Shisui of the body flicker was fighting with him. Those two are the most feared members of the Uchiha clan. They'll come find you when they escape, if your brother cares about as much as you say." Naruto spoke with conviction, as if he knew his words to be true. He had never had a family, but big siblings were supposed to protect their little sibling. Itachi wouldn't want Sasuke going back.

"He's right Sasuke-kun." Ino smiled at her crush, a blush rising too her cheeks when he looked at her.

"We're almost there. We have to run." Naruto said, resuming his previous pace. Only to bump into an armor clad shinobi.

"You're too young to be shinobi." A ragged and old voice spoke. The voice came from a fair-skinned man with white, shaggy hair and dark-coloured eyes. He had three red markings on his face, one under each of his eyes and one on his chin. He wore blue armor with a distinctive white fur collar over a simple black suit. The armor was constructed from numerous metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along his body. Beneath his shoulder armor he wore two bands on each arm. This clothing was accompanied by sandals and a happuri. Tobirama Senju. His face looked a lot more wrinkled than the picture in the bingo book, but Naruto would recognize him anywhere.

"Well you're too old to be a shinobi!" Ino growled at the man, she definitely didn't know who he was.

"Age means experience girl. You best remember that. Maybe I should teach you a lesson?" His eyes promised pain, and the girl shrunk back.

Naruto was pissed now. Fuck his reputation. You don't threaten his new (and only) friend. He moved in front of the girl, standing protectively. He was happy to say Sasuke had done the same thing. "You won't touch her." Naruto said it like it was a fact. Honestly, he would die in a couple of seconds, but he wasn't above detonating the stolen paper bombs in his pockets to take the old man with him.

"Hah. I like the kid." Naruto looked behind Tobirama to see a woman with long red hair, she was smirking, clearly amused by what he had said. "Can we keep him Minato-kun?" She asked a man who suddenly materialized behind them in a yellow flash. Oh fuck. Minato Namikaze.

"Afraid not, Kushina-chan. They saw Orochimaru fighting the Uchiha. I don't like it, but they have to die." Minato went for a kunai.

Naruto didn't hesitate, he grabbed Ino and pulled her to his side. A three pronged Kunai occupied the spot where she once stood. He ripped his jacket off and threw it into the air activating the unique combination of flash bombs and smoke bombs he kept in the jackets many pockets.

Sasuke had quickly caught on to what Naruto intended to do with a glance and locked his eyes on the ground and took off running in the direction the three of them had been going.

Naruto and Ino followed closely behind as the jacket detonated, leaving an amused Kushina, an angry Tobirama, and a confused Minato in their tracks. Being a thief really was a good thing!

-Break-

Kushina watched them run by her, almost close enough for her to reach out and grab them. She didn't though. She liked the blonde's one style too much. He looked so much like she imagined her child would look. If only he hadn't been killed by that plant man.

Minato started to chase after them, but she stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Let them go. They earned their life today."

Strangely Tobirama had been the one to speak. He wasn't one for mercy. She didn't care though. The old pervert didn't mean a thing to her. "Come on gramps. Let's go have a coming home party for the Senju!" She smiled cheerfully at him and pushed him forward, towards the sounds of combat.

Minato shook his head at his wife and turned to go kill any surviving Uchiha. He would be happy to get on good terms with his sensei and his village again. If it took the sacrifice of a couple of clans to make it happen, then he was more than happy to make it.

-Break-

Naruto, Ino and Sasuke had packed bags from Naruto's stash of stolen goods, and now they were walking down the escape tunnel that lead outside the village walls. It came out close to the land of waves, they would go there, and come up with what to do next. The village hidden in the leaves was a lost cause now. He would never be a shinobi for that village. He had a new goal now.

He would help his new friends get their vengeance.

 **A/N: Okay. I know anyone that has read this far has a lot of questions. I hope my explanation of the AU made since in the beginning. First off, Pairings are completely undecided. Probably won't be Yaoi or Yuri, at least not as the main paring. I will explain how Naruto ended up in the village, because, yes, Naruto is the son of Minato and Kushina. I spent a long time designing my Alternate History. Naruto may or may not have the Kyuubi in this, he doesn't know, and neither does anyone else. That includes you, the reader. For now anyway. Hope you enjoyed. Read and review friends.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: A lot of people were wanting to put their two cents in about the paring, so I made a poll. That being said, the poll won't be the only factor in my decision it's just there so I can see what my readers are hoping for. Also, after the third scene break, there is a minor suggestion of a NaruIno paring by Sasuke while in his POV key point being it is his POV. Not the authors. I still don't know what the pairing will be, and they're only twelve. Not exactly mature in the ways of love yet.**

 **Guest review #1: Probably won't be SasuIno. I don't really like that pairing much. The containers will make an appearance. Staying silent on the akatsuki thing, I want their involvement to be a surprise.**

 **Guest review #2: NaruSaku will definitely not be the paring. Sakura is usually wasted in fanfics, and I plan to utilize her in an interesting and original way, one that has nothing to do with love interests. SasuSaku won't be happening either. When I do decide on the paring, I won't be telling anyone, you'll just have to read to find out.**

 **Also, if any of you have an account, please review using it next time. It makes it far easier to respond to you all. Alright, on to the story. (If you don't have an account, I understand and still want you to review. I love the feedback!)**

Haruno Sakura hated her teammates. They were lazy and weak, and they didn't show any love for the village. For their home. The home that took them after their clans betrayed it!

Shikamaru was the laziest person on the planet. He got tired from breathing. Breating! He complained constantly, called her and the village troublesome! Said he missed the simple times before he became a shinobi! He had no pride! No passion! No anything!

Then, there was Chouji, a fat useless shinobi. The best thing he could do would be to take a kunai for someone who was actually meant to be a shinobi. Okay…that was harsh, she was sure he was a good person, but he was a terrible shinobi. He should have never been put in the program!

They wouldn't be around long. She was sure of it. No way would Tsunade-sensei let them stay as the extra two for their missions. She was the chosen apprentice of one of the strongest shinobi in the village. Tsunade-sensei wouldn't let these two keep her from making chuunin in the upcoming exams. She had to be a chuunin so she could take missions without anyone slowing her and Tsunade down! Then maybe she wouldn't have to take such stupid escort missions either. She could work full time in the hospital, and be a medic for a frontal assault team on missions! Her parents would have been so proud of her.

"What's with you?" Shikamaru asked, in his annoying, slow, lazy voice.

She realized she had been smiling at the thoughts of becoming a chuunin. "None of y-"

"She was probably just amazed by my stories of the incredible bridge I'm building." The old drunk smiled brightly, as if he was pleased with himself.

' _Had he even been talking?'_ She wondered. She certainly hadn't heard him say anything. God this mist was getting thick. She could barely see Tsunade-sensei in front of her now.

-Break-

Naruto was perched on a tree limb, a senbon hanging loosely from his mouth. He had changed a lot since they fled the village, his hair had grown long, tied in a spiky ponytail that hung down between his shoulders. He wore a black flak jacket, stolen off a dead Sound Shinobi, and a burnt orange and black, loose fitting, long sleeve shirt. He also wore a pair of black shinobi pants and sandals.

Ino crouched beside him, her hand resting on the tanto at her side. Her hair had also grown, hanging in a loose ponytail that went to the small of her back, with her hair hanging over one eye. She wore a sleeveless purple top, almost completely covered by a black flak jacket. She wore a purple skirt, cut from the side up to the top, held together by a button, showing black shorts underneath. Her legs were wrapped in bandages, and she also wore pair of black shinobi sandals.

Across the road, also crouched on a branch, was Sasuke. His hairstyle was virtually the same as it had been, but his bangs were slightly longer. He wore a shirt just like Naruto's, only in white with red pin stripes going up the sleeves. He, like Naruto and Ino, wore a black flak jacket, but his had the Uchiha clan emblem embroidered on the back. A chokuto dangled from his side.

They were planning an ambush, waiting patiently for the Land of Water daimyo and his envoy. The new Mizukage wanted him dead. He betrayed some of their shinobi, had his samurai kill them, and their heads were given to bounty hunters. Naruto didn't know if it was true, but he didn't really care. The money was good, and having a Kage like them was never a bad thing.

Currently, the daimyo was in a diplomatic meeting with some guy named Gato, apparently he ran this little island. Into the ground, based on the town where they stayed. It wasn't their problem, even if it did bother him a little. He always wanted to save a nation… oh well. That wasn't the mission. They needed money, and saving dirt poor nations doesn't bring any in.

The plan was simple, when the guards showed up, Naruto and Ino would quickly dispatch them, and Sasuke would kill the daimyo during the distraction.

"Halt! Konoha shinobi."

Naruto heard a shout form down the road, this wasn't part of the plan. Damn it.

Naruto made a quick handseal, a clone popping appearing behind him. "Find out what it is." He whispered, his eyes never left Sasuke though. Since they had first started training, he had never passed up an opportunity to kill someone from Konoha.

Thirty seconds later, the clone dispelled. "Konoha genin team. On unrelated mission." He signed to his teammates "Stick to plan." They both nodded. There was no leader, but he was the most qualified to scout, and they had to rely on his information.

Things proceeded as they should have from there. He had twelve samurai guards, just as the informant had said.

Sasuke held his hand up, counting down from three. The millisecond his hand closed, Naruto and Ino were off. The samurai didn't know what hit them.

Ino killed three in a second, her Tanto was soaked in blood. She flicked the blood off, and sprinted towards her next victim.

Naruto was more violent. He was weaving in and out, planting Kunai into openings on their armor. His method was slow, wounding instead of killing. He didn't like to kill them. They would be crippled, but they would live.

Sasuke landed in the middle, his sword removing the daimyo's head from his shoulders. The he moved to attack the left over samurai.

-Break-

Sakura had never encountered enemy shinobi before. Up until now, it had always been bandits, and Tsunade-sensei usually handled them. This was so much worse. The demon hidden in the mist, Tsunade-sensei called him. He was terrifying. His chakra was so…thick. It was like it was chocking her, it was a wonder her useless teammates hadn't already fled. Her sensei could definitely handle this so called 'demon' with ease. Sakura was sure of it. Tsuande would just have to find him first. That was all. It was going to be easy for her. Really easy. Sakura truly believed that. She really did. She just didn't understand why her sensei was constantly having to stop and heal herself.

-Break-

"Zabuza-sensei is close by." Ino sounded far too happy to recognize that psychotic shinobi's chakra, in Sasuke's opinion.

He was absolutely the craziest person Sasuke had ever met. Ino loved him though. That got along far too well for comfort. She would always laugh at his homicidal tendencies, saying that he was just like little puppy baring its teeth or something like that. She insisted that he only put on a tough exterior, that he was really soft. It was disturbing. So very disturbing. The Uchiha held back a shudder at the flashbacks of his kenjutsu teacher's 'lessons'.

Naruto was acting much the same way as Sasuke, though his thoughts were probably worse, with the special training that man had put him though.

"Well, let's go visit!" Ino said excitedly, ignoring the blank stare she was receiving from Naruto and Sasuke. She took to the trees, landing on a branch and looking back expectantly.

Naruto shook his head, reaching down and sealing the head of the daimyo into a scroll, and stuffing it into his jacket pocket. "Fine, Ino-chan." He followed the girl, a small smile on his face.

Ino could get Naruto to walk into the gates of hell, if only she asked him. Sasuke felt bad for him. He clearly loved the girl, even if he didn't realize it himself. He would in time. If only Ino felt the same way.

He watched the two for a moment, before following behind them. A sharp sensation hit him. One promising impending doom. His hand was instinctively flexing towards his blade, his fully matured sharingan activated. Something was about to happen. Something bad.

-Break-

What the hell was this guy? He was so fast, Sakura couldn't even see him. All she knew was that his water clones kept exploding on her. One of her teammates, Chouji, she took back what she said about him. He saved her life. Shikamaru was useless still though. He just crouched down, staring off into space.

"Tsunade-sensei!" Sakura shouted, rushing at the hunter-nin that suddenly appeared. She drew her fist back, ready to unleash her most powerful punch.

An orange and black blur suddenly grabbed her wrist, redirecting it into a tree, destroying the tree.

-Break-

Naruto saw Tsunade first. He ran ahead of Ino when he realized why Zabuza's chakra kept on flaring. Tsuande of the Sannin. A Senju. One of the people directly responsible for the destruction of the Uchiha and Yamanaka clans. His companions were going to go off the deep end.

They might actually win though. If it was just them, they wouldn't stand a chance. If Zabuza was fighting, then Haku was close by, and Kisame, Mangetsu and Suigetsu were probably around here too. Maybe the demon brothers, but they were usually collecting funds for the other, stronger swordsman.

"Tsuade-sensei!" Shit. Haku was attacking Tsunade, and one of the genin saw. Naruto leapt in front of Haku, grabbing the pink haired girl's wrist and shoving her away. He and Haku leapt back, to converse while Tsuande and the pink haired one tried to find them in the mist.

"You're getting slow, Haku." He looked back at his old friend with a smirk.

"I was prepared for her." He said, monotonous.

"Yeah, yeah I saved your ass. Just like that time in-" He paused mid-sentence, deflecting another of Sakura's punches. She was slow, and she telegraphed her punches horribly. "Suna, from that sand kid. He was totally gonna crush you." Naruto said, still smirking. "So, where's the psychopathic shark and his apprentices?" He casually side stepped another of the girls punches as he spoke.

"He's in talks with Mei-sama." Haku sounded happy. "Perhaps you should end the fight with the genin?" He added, watching Naruto dodge yet another poorly disguised attack.

He was happy for them, they were getting to go home. That was a privilege he would never get. The next time he saw his home, it would be in ashes. "Yeah, maybe. I was hoping to challenge Suigetsu again." Naruto grabbed Sakura's wrist this time, holding it place. "And as for you, Pinkie, You're a few years too green of being able to kill me." He violently twisted her arm, landing a palm strike on her elbow, causing a horrible cracking sound.

"Fuck you!" She yelled through the obvious pain.

"Naruto-kun! When did you get a girlfriend? And she's already trying to get you in bed…But you're only twelve! You should wait before you have more hair down there." Ino landed, her tanto placed to Sakura's throat, even as she joked at his suspense.

"Ino-chan." Haku greeted. "Sasuke-kun is close by then?"

Naruto ignored him, focusing on what Ino had said instead. "First off, Very funny. Second, we're the same age. Third, why have you been looking at my crotch? If we're need to know that much about each other, then your next inspection is tonight." He finished the last part, smirking at the red faced girl.

Haku stifled a giggle at the two. Sakura was still fighting back tears. "Sasuke's fighting her teammates. I hear his lighting sparking." He answered Haku.

"Ah, I'll go help him." He disappeared into the mist, towards the other genin.

"Naruto-kun, what do we do with her?" Ino asked, her face still slightly red. She was going to ignore his jokes, apparently.

"Disable. Not kill. If Zabuza-sensei gets in trouble, when can use her to negotiate." His hand went to her throat, squeezing tightly. She passed out after about a thirty seconds. "Sorry, pinkie." He said, as he let her fall to the ground.

Ino sliced her tanto across the back of the girl's ankles, cutting her Achilles tendon. "There. Make sure she doesn't become a pest before the fight ends.

"Harsh, Ino-chan."

"I felt how much chakra was in those punches. She would have killed you if she landed a direct hit. I'm not gonna let that happen." Ino put a hand on her hip, the ultimate indicator to not argue anymore. "I'm going to protect you guys anyway I can."

"We all made that promise. Ino-chan. me, you, and Sasuke. We, live together, we die together." He smiled at her, remembering the oath they swore four years ago. "Hopefully we don't die for awhile." He added as an afterthought.

"Let's go make sure Sasuke-kun doesn't die then." She said, heading towards his chakra signature.

-Break-

Sasuke dodged the Nara's shadow once again, keeping an eye on the Akimichi as well. The two worked together well. It was fucking annoying. Two needles suddenly flew into the Akimichi's neck, causing him to crumple to the ground. "Haku." He greeted with a respectful nod.

The Nara was frozen, he was staring at his fallen friend, fear, rage, and sadness flashed in his eyes. Sasuke smirked. "That feeling, those emotions, I've felt them every day for the last four years. Because of your family."

The Nara started to charge him, only to be caught in the grasp of Naruto and Ino, each holding of his arms behind his back. He was desperately trying break free, wildly throwing kicks. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"He was precious to you." Haku spoke, sounding sad.

Ino lifted her blade to The Nara's throat "You look just like Shikaku. Is he your dad?" She asked, sounding far sweeter than her intentions. 

The Nara suddenly smirked, his shadow had connected to hers, which meant he didn't need a handseal. Sasuke tried to move fast enough, but he wasn't going to make it.

He saw Ino turn her tanto on herself, she was about to stab herself in the heart, and there was nothing he could do. FUCK!

"STOP! Your friend's alive!" Haku yelled, realizing what was happening as soon as Shikamaru started moving. He had moved to the fallen Akimichi, a fist full of senbon held at his face. "Move and I kill him."

The Nara hesitated, which was the opening Sasuke needed, disarming Ino, and throwing her kunai pouch off her side. They had studied the Nara techniques in depth, moving her wouldn't disconnect the shadow at this point.

He looked at Naruto, he had frozen. That wasn't like him at all. Not with Ino in danger. He was always faster and stronger when defending one of them. Especially Ino. His hand was shaking violently. That was when Sasuke saw the seal array. That explained. It demanded tribute. He was fighting it down.

"Naruto. Ino's safe. Control it." He turned his gaze to the Nara, "Relase her, and take your friend and leave. You'll get to live. You will die if you don't. Just like the pink haired one" He didn't activate his sharingan, hopefully he wouldn't realize who they were.

The Nara nodded, slowly, releasing the shadow's hold on her. He took a step towards the Akimichi, then another, carefully watching them all.

Haku lifted the fat kid with surprising ease, handing him to the Nara. "Always protect your precious people."

Naruto was still shaking, the seals starting to spread up his arm. "Ino, help him." She was the only one who could calm him at this point.

The blonde girl didn't hesitate. She put a hand on his shoulder "Naruto-kun, you're stronger than it. I believe in-" Ino didn't finish, a fist hit her in the stomach, slamming through several trees.

Time seemed to slow to a stop, Naruto stared in shock, her blood was on his face. Sasuke felt only rage. "No…No…No…NO NOT ANOTHER ONE!" Sasuke charged the blonde woman his chokuto ready to cut her in half.

-Break-

Zabuza was keeping her busy, waiting for Haku and his three favorite former students to finish with her team. This Senju wasn't so tough. She only had her taijutsu, best as he could tell. She couldn't find him to hit him.

He heard her heartbeat slow, then she took a step. All he needed. Zabuza was in front of her, his sword cleaving her in half, only for her to turn into pile of destroyed wood. He heard her running, running towards Haku, and his former students. He ran, his chakra flaring.

He was too slow, he saw her hitting Ino, but more importantly, he saw the looks in Naruto and Sasuke's eyes. He saw Tsunade's impending doom at that moment.

 **A/N: Short chapter I know, but it fit. I will be putting excerpts of the four year timeskip as Omakes at the end of each chapter for now. The first one is below. And remember kids, the devil put dinosaurs here, Jesus don't like a queer. (Alice in Chains song. Don't take offense to my gay and Christian readers. I'm also a Christian.) God bless ya'll in everything you do.**

Three weeks after they fled:

"I hate camping." Ino huffed, blowing her matted hair out of her face.

"Stop complaining Yamanaka. We're alive." Sasuke responded, giving her a small glare. He had become so freaking annoying.

"I don't see why we can't stop and get a room though!" Ino yelled at him, she needed a shower. Now.

"Do you have any money laying around? Because I don't." Sasuke never raised his voice, he just spoke in smug, somewhat downtrodden tone when they argued.

Ino huffed, turning her back to the annoying little prick. "We could get some somewhere." It was little more than a mumble, but Sasuke heard her apparently.

"We could whore you out." Sasuke offered, she couldn't see him, but she could feel his smirk.

Ino fought the urge to smack him. It hadn't taken long for them to realize that a horrifying number of grown men were attracted to eight year old girls.

"Shut up Sasuke. You too, Ino-chan" Naruto spoke up, ending their arguments before things went too far. "We need to get farther away from the village. Then I'll pick pocket some people and we can rent the best room available." Somehow, Naruto had become the mediator between the three of them. Unless he had a dog in the fight, then he was meaner and louder than both of them combined. In her opinion anyway.

"Fine." Ino huffed again, laying down.

"How do you know how to pickpocket?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the blond boy suspiciously.

Ino had pretty much figured out that her friend and savior was a thief not long after meeting him. He snuck in out of clan compounds, and he had his own treasure trove of merchandise no orphan could ever afford. "How do you think he had so much stuff?" Ino asked, rolling over to face the two boys.

"I didn't really think about it." Sasuke admitted, frowning slightly. "So…you were a criminal?"

"I did what I had too." Naruto grumbled, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. He had gotten so withdrawn since they ran out of ramen. It was weird.

"My dad ran the police force." Sasuke spoke, his mouth twitched slightly and tears could be seen in his eyes at the mention of his family. Ino's heart ached, not only for Sasuke, but for her own father.

"I never got caught, if that's what you were asking. I think some ANBU saw me one time, but they didn't care enough to do anything about it."

"My dad was in ANBU." Ino said suddenly. "He was the leader of the Torture and Interrogation division." It was the first time she had talked about her dad since he was killed.

"What about your mom? Mine was a jonin before…" Sasuke trailed off.

"I never knew my mom, she died giving birth to me. Daddy never talked about her." The mention of her mom wasn't nearly as painful as her dad.

"…Sorry…" Sasuke was looking through her now. He was lost in his own thoughts.

"Don't be. Daddy was both my parents for me. He was more than enough." She smiled sadly, he really had been the greatest dad a girl could ask for.

She looked over at Naruto, he was pretending to be asleep. He never had anyone. But he never once complained. He gave up his home, his life, and his dream to save them. To go on the run with them. But he never once complained. Here they were, talking about how wonderful their families used to be, and he never had one. He was so selfless. Ino slowly drifted to sleep with the thoughts of her fellow blond.

Five weeks after they fled:

"This is the most comfortable bed ever! I love you Naruto!" Ino wrapped her blond companion in a tight hug.

"Gah…I…can't…breathe" Naruto was turning blue, desperately trying to pry the girl off of him.

"So…" Sasuke said awkwardly, staring at the two blondes seemingly cuddling in bed. "Ino…I think he passed out."

He hadn't. But playing dead seems to be the best plan at this point.

"Really?" She released her hold, and Naruto quickly rolled off the bed and backed himself against a wall, breathing deeply.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, before moving to his own room. He had insisted he got a room to himself, much to Ino's chagrin.

Naruto didn't really care, he told Ino he would sleep on the couch, since she was so intent on having her own room. Which descended into an argument about who deserved the room more, with Ino saying Naruto should have it, and Naruto saying Ino should have it. The end result was them both laying in the bed, secretly waiting for the other to fall asleep so they could sneak away.

The plan ended when she decided to kill him though. "What the hell Ino Chan?" He was still trying to catch his breath. He unintentionally glared at the girl.

"It wasn't that hard. Crybaby." She huffed, something he noticed she did when she was angry at one of them.

"Sorry. I wasn't trying to be mean." Naruto rubbed the back of his head bashfully. He hated making her angry. He always felt so…empty? He wasn't sure what it was, but it was worse than guilt.

"Whatever. Get back in the bed. I won't assassinate you in your sleep. Don't worry." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Naruto found a content smile on his face, he was happy. He wondered if this was how it would have felt had he had siblings, or anyone really. Still he smiled. Because they were his friends, his family.


End file.
